The Secret Garden (Oxford Children's Classics) - Hardcover

Hodgson Burnett, Frances

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0192727990 ISBN 13: 9780192727992

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2008

Synopsis

A beautiful and timeless story about friendship, secrets, and the human spirit, The Secret Garden tells the story of orphaned Mary Lennox, who is sent to live in her uncle's house on the Yorkshire moors. Her uncle's wife died tragically ten years earlier, and the house is an unhappy one. Miserable and lonely, Mary starts to explore the house's gardens and she discovers a key to the secret garden her uncle had sealed off when his wife died. There she discovers a secret so important, so enchanting, that it will change her life forever.

About the Series:
Oxford Children's Classics bring together the most unforgettable stories ever told. Complete and unabridged text allows children to discover the stories as they were meant to be read. Produced in beautifully designed hardback editions, the collection features well-loved classic stories readers will treasure and return to again and again.

About this title

Review:

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12)

From the Publisher:

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite Manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned Mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.

But Misselthwaite hides another secret, as mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin, Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic will work wonders on him.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0192727990
• ISBN 13: 9780192727992
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 302